Improvement in fish-net



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PHILANDER G. SABINS,Y OAF WESTPORT, ASSIGNOR T0 ,'HIMSELF AND WILLIAM H. PIERCE, 0F FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

Letters Patent N 99,713, dated .February 8, 1870.

t IMBROVEMENT IN FISH-NET.

- The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

Be it known that I, PHILANDEn G. SABINs, of iVestport, in the county'of Bristol, and State of' Massachusetts, laborer, have invented a new and useful Machine or Device, which I call the Sabins Spring lurse-lNTet,v the use of which is to catch bottom fish; and I do herebydeclare that the following isA a'full, clear, and exact description ofthe construction and operationof the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specifica-tion, in `which- Figure 1 is a perspective I view of' said device, when set for hsh; and 1 Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same, when pursed, so as to hold the -fish in it securely.

To describe and explain theconstrnction and operation of the spring .purse-net, I begin at what I call the bait-pan, a a, seen in the centre of tig. 1, which consists of t-wo partsthe part on which the bait ,is spread, and the cover that secures the bait upon it. The part upon which the bait is spread is made of sheet-brass, is circular, and `slightly concave in form, witlrtlle concave surface downward. The size ,or diameterof the bait-pau may vary, according to the size ofthe spring purse-net7 to be constructed.

The'cover is made of brass wire, formed into a net,- work, and joined tothe part upon which the bait is spread, at the point a, by.a hinge-joint, and fastened at the opposite point a to the lower part of the baitpan, by a spring, or seized to it with marlin.

This wire co\ er answers the double purpose of lexhibiting the bait to the sight of the fish, andsec'uring it in its place at the same time.

I nextdescribe what I call the spring-rod, seen at b b in both tigures. There are nine of these springrods, made of brass wire, from one-quarter to one-half inch in diameter, and their length is determined by the size ofthe net to be applied to them. l, They mustbe of equal length, and reach from the bait-pan outward, a little beyond the outer periphery of the net, as seen at d d, in tig. l. The inner ends of these rods pass through holes, made for the purpose, in the lower part of the'baitpan, near its lower edge, and are' secured to it by means of a nut and thread on each rod. The rods extend outward in the same plane, like spokes from the hub of a wheel, and at equal distances apart. The outer ends ot' these rods are all turned, so as to` form a hook outward.

l next describe the net c c, and its combination with the bait-pan and spring-rods. It is knit of common seine-twine. An opening of the same shape and size, or diameter, as the bait-pan, is left in the centre of the nut, into which, the bait-pan a a is secured, above the spring-rods b b, by means of small cord or marlin. A small cord or line forms the outer Vperiphery of the net. The net is circular in form.

At'points on the periphery aforesaid, adjacent (when springrods, I attach or seize brass rings d labout two inches in diameter, with another ring of the same dimensions seized to each of them, the planes of the two being at right angles to-each other.

.rings e e, seized to them, I call Vthe spring-rings.

-These rings, seized together, are seen at d e, in fig. 1. The spring-rhigs e e serve to hold the netin place, when set', by being caught over the ends of thehooks of the spring-rod, as seen in iig. l, at c e. Between the large ,purse-rings d :Land at equal distances from them and from each other, are smaller brass rings, seized to the periphery aforesaid, seen in tig. 1.'

I will next describe what I call the purse-lines, or leaders. Thesev are nine, of equal length and size, seen at g g, figs. 1 aud-2. They must not be too large to pass through the small rings on theperiphery of the net. One end of each purse-line is fastened to each of the large purse-rings d d, and the other end ot'eaeh is passed through the intervening small pursering and the large purse-ring next to it, all in the saine direction. Then I take up the loose ends of all the leaders together, and fasten them to what I call the main leader l1., and also within and to the buoy t', secnin figs. 1 and 2. The buoy i is made of cork or light wood, which, by its tendency to rise to the surface of the water, keepsthe purse-leaders taut above the net. The manrope'or leader h serves to draw up the net by.

There is another buoy, j, made the sa'me as the buoy t', both havingapertures through them. The end of the main leader h is fastened to the buoy j, which float-s on the surface, and serves to mark the spot where the net is set.

A heavy ring, It, with orifice large enough to pass over both buoys, is carried in a boat, and slipped over the main leader h,`when the net is about to be drawn up. It prevents the net fromopening, by passing down around t-he purse-leaders g g.

Now, to catch tish with the Sabins spring pursescribed. Set the net, by catching the spring-rings c c over thc spring-rod hooks, as seen at e e, in tig. 1. Then, by the main leader It, lower the device to the bottom of4 the .-water. It will. then be in position, as seen at iig. 1. If [ish are in the vicinity, they will be attracted by the bait in the bait-pan, over the net. After ashort' time, draw the net up, by taking hold of the main vleader hslip .the large ring la down aroungl it, andcontinue to drawupon it, until the uct reaches the surface. Drawing on the main leader 71l draws on all the purse-laitiers g g at the same time. The pursel leaders .thus act on the purse-rings d d, and these rings,

the net'is spread) to the cuter or hook ends ofthe4 The rino's d d I call the lar re nurse-rings and the D 7 l D 1 net, first fasten the bait on the bait-pan before del in turn, neti n the spring-:ings e e, springing.'` upward the spring-rods, until the spring-rings e e unhook from the spring-rods, and the net is instantly plnsed by the option of the small purse-lenders g g, on the pnl-serings dd, :ind -the net takes the form seen in fig. 2. It. is firmly held in that position by the heavy ringr bvfin'c descrihed,seen at l, in figs. 1 and 2, so noY sh mn escape thl'ouglrthe mouth of the net while being drawn up. Y

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is- I 1. The combination, with the lenders q md rings d 0,'of thehookled spxing-rods l), as described, for purpose set; forth. 'f

2. Thex purse-net c, provided with the hait-box a, in ombination with the spring-rods b and leaders g, as 4and for the pui-poses dest-liberi.

PHILANDER G. SABINS.

W'itnesses:

JONATHAN SLADE, CEAS. E. MILLS. 

